Showing posts with label Islamic architecture. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Maryam Eskandari will be the Keynote Speaker at MPA-Houston

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan's First Female Architect's, Interview with Dwell Magazine

Q&A WITH PAKISTAN'S FIRST FEMALE ARCHITECT

As profiled in our "Women of Influence" roundup in our July/August 2012 issue, Yasmeen Lari is the closest thing Pakistan has to a design superhero. After years working as an architect, designing buildings for a wide range of clients, from corporate campuses to low-income housing, she left private practice in order to focus on issues close to her heart, including developing sustainable and vernacular disaster relief housing and dedicating herself to writing, research, and her work with the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, the ambitious nonprofit she developed with her husband. Here, we ask her questions about her architectural work, her philanthropical passions, and the unique challenges of working in her homeland.

Maryam Eskandari Interview with BBC

Muslim American Move Away from Minaret

By Jane O'Brien
BBC News, Washington

In post 9/11 America the construction of new mosques in the US has sometimes sparked controversy and even confrontation. Is that why some new Muslim houses of worship are being built without the most recognisable features of Islamic architecture - minarets and domes?

Architect Maryam Eskandari, former associate director of the American Institute of Architects, is touring the US with a photo exhibition illustrating the transition of American mosques from traditional to postmodern design. She says Islamic Architecture has long been subject to personal interpretation and set in a cultural and historical context. "The Kaaba itself doesn't have a dome, it doesn't have a minaret - that was built later on," she says, speaking of the Mecca building hat is Islam's most holy site.

"Its just a cube. So traditionally speaking that is the idea of Islamic Architecture."
Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16825976

Friday, March 02, 2012

Muslim comic book is 'the antidote to bin Laden'

Kinda Jayoush

Oct 14, 2011

Speaking to a large crowd of Arab youths at an international development conference in Montreal, Canada, Dr Naif Al-Mutawa, the creator of The 99 cartoon, rushed enthusiastically through his ideas about the importance of self-image and the challenges facing Arab and Muslim identity.

"There are many levels of the story I am presenting," said Mutawa. "One of which is the entrepreneur who had an idea, raised money and set up this company and created almost a thousand jobs.

"That story, when people see it, they see that anything is possible," he added, referring to his project for which he has raised millions of dollars and found markets around the world, including major television networks in both the United States and the Middle East.

The Arab Development Summit - held as part of the Arab Development Initiative earlier this month - was organised by a group of 30 students from McGill university, one of the leading educational institutions in Canada.

It attracted more than 500 delegates in addition to entrepreneurs, speakers, partners and sponsors, including the World Bank, Harvard Arab Alumni Association and Etihad Airways. Speakers included the poet and political science professor Tamim Barghouti, the leading entrepreneur Dr Ahmad Ashkar, founder of the Hult Global Case Challenge, and Maryam Eskandari, an award-winning architect.

Award-winning architect Maryam Eskandari, who spoke about "designing space for social change", described how inspiring it was to create a mosque in Sudan that later became a place of worship for people of all faiths.

Eskandari, who is of Iranian origin, said her Muslim clients who wanted to build the mosque discovered they lacked financing. But then members of the Christian community agreed to give them money for the project and the Muslims decided to share the prayer space with other religions to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence in their own community.

Tarek Kanaan, one of the participants, said that such ideas and examples of economic and social development were exactly what Arab young people need to embrace.

"We know the challenges that are ahead of us and we know some of the solutions, but we needed to get together, discuss these issues and put them in an organised manner," he said. "We have spoken of economic change, civil society, minorities, pluralism, religious tolerance, self-image and political change among many other issues openly and frankly."

Islam in Conversation Series

FALL 2011

Islam in America Ten Years After 9/11
Lecture & Conversation with Imam Feisal Abdul-Rauf, author of What’s Right with Islam, Is What’s Right with America and leading advocate of Park 51 Islamic Center in NYC near Ground Zero. Co-sponsored with American Whig Cliosophic Society and Muslim Students Association.

Monday, September 19 | 4.30 pm | Whig Hall, Senate Chamber

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Designing Sacred Spaces in the Modern World
a lunchtime conversation with Maryam Eskandari

Wednesday, October 19 | 12.30 pm | Campus Club Library

AND

American Mosques & Muslim Identity: Debating Gender, Form, and Architecture

Lecture & conversation with Maryam Eskandari, an architect and a graduate of the Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture at Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a focus on modern and contemporary “Islamic” Architecture in the West.

Wednesday, October 19 | 7.30 pm | Peyton Hall, 145

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Fear, Inc.: Islamophobia & The Challenge to American Pluralism

Lecture & conversation with Wajahat Ali, one of the authors of Fear, Inc.: The Roots of The Islamophobia Network in America , a revealing expose produced by the Center for American Progress.

Wednesday, November 30 | 4.30 pm | Robertson Hall, Bowl 1

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Toward a More Perfect Union: Religion, Democracy, & Ethical Citizenship

A wide ranging conversation between Dr. Ingrid Mattson—Director of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at the Hartford Theological Seminary, author of The Story of the Qur’an , and former president of the Islamic Society of North America—and Dr. Jeffery Stout—esteemed professor of religion at Princeton University and author most recently of Blessed are the Organized: Grassroots Democracy in America .

Wednesday, December 7 | 4.30 pm | McCormick Hall, 101

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Sacred Space for Muslim Americans

Front Cover of New York's Elan magazine

Mosques have been a reason for intense debates both within the Muslim community and outside of it. Maryam Eskandari, an architect at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard and MIT, currently has a traveling exhibit on American Mosques. She brings a new angle to the debate discussing the role of architecture as an identity issue. Her exhibit, Sacred Space: (Re)Constructing the Place of Gender in the Space of Religion is touring the nation. We sat down with the architect and artist for an interview.

How did you choose this topic for your exhibit?

This “mosque” project actually started 5 years ago when I was working on another project in Seattle Washington. It was during the holy month of Ramadan. I got an opportunity to engage with the Muslims in Seattle, in which they commissioned my firm to design their mosque. During the design process, we constantly were confronted with, allocating an accurate space for the performance of prayers. It is amazing to see how emotional people get when the issue of space is discussed. What was fascinating to see is how this particular community was able to come together during their mosque project. From my first mosque, it led me to numerous projects for the various Muslim communities throughout the States. However, one project was confronted with a huge obstacle. While we were designing, and going through case studies of various mosques in the states, we started to realize that as Muslims, we do not necessarily have an identity, an American Muslim identity, when it comes to mosques, while other countries---particularly in the Middle East do. So the questioning of identity and gender kept coming up in the design projects. That was when finally last summer; the Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture funded my research to visit 32 American Mosques that reside in a highly dense Muslim population across the US. However, while engaged in the project, it lead to over 100 mosques and it still continues. We were able to capture the history, space, and architecture of each mosque, along with the stories that either the community would share with us, or our own adventures that we had.

Gender, Sexuality and Urban Spaces

This was a great, if in cohesive group of panelists. They’ve each done really interesting research on different architectural expressions of ‘women’s spaces’ in three different US institutions: contemporary Mosques, Gymnasiums at the turn of the century, and Settlement Houses in the early 1900′s.

Maryam Eskandari gave a very compelling presentation on the need to re-examine mosque typology and explore the gender hierarchy assumptions embedded in that typology. Essentially, her work has determined that mosques prioritize men’s space, making the front of the mosque inaccessible to women, and allocating the separate women’s prayer space as ½ to 1/5 the amount of space allocated to the men. She talked about radical activists in the US staging Rosa Parks-style interventions in this model. And, she advocated for the role of architects in changing the typology, making contemporary mosque design reflect the changing politics of the practice of Islam in the US where communities are more open to mixed gender prayer spaces.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

SACRED SPACE??

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Redesigning Mecca

November 18, 2010 | Maryam Eskandari

Featured in New York's Elan Magazine

This last week, roughly between two to four million Muslims were honorary guests at the “House of the Divine” to fulfill a spiritual cleansing. Millions of people come each year to visit this architectural wonder, built by the father of the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They get to witness the foundation that Abraham laid, in order to build his Ummah or the society of the “Abrahamic Faiths.” This year Muslims visited the Ka’aba, before it goes under heavy renovation by two of Britain’s “starchitects”: Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid.

The Green Mosque

November 2, 2o10 | Maryam Eskandari

Featured in New York's Elan Magazine

Last week, the Chicago based nonprofit organization, Faith in Place, announced its winner for “Building: Problem or Solution?” competition. 26 design firms, representing 11 states, and six countries participated. Of which, the winner for this year was a team of four young Muslims, from Pasadena, California whose winning entry was the Sustainable Green Mosque. The Sustainable Green Mosque played on the notion of weaving the sustainability concept, along with the traditional mosque elements, into a modern urban context.

Oct 10, 2010| Maryam Eskandari

featured in New York's Elan Magazine

This year, Aladdin and his 1001 night’s stories somehow ended up looking for the genie’s lamp in the heart of one of the most architecturally congested cities of the world, Shanghai. Unless, you where busy trying to get your three wishes, you know that this summer was one of the most hyper active summers, where the whole world got together. Despite the fact that Hollywood tried to do us a favor and take us to Iran, with the Prince of Persia, to Abu Dhabi with Sex and the City or the whole world watching South Africa for the World Cup; China just decided to bring the whole world to its back yard with the World Expo. Of which, United Arab Emirates (UAE) audaciously gave a big pile of sand to be displayed.

Abu Dhabi reveals NEW golf clubhouse

Frank Gehry-designed clubhouse for a golf course in Abu Dhabi have been revealed.

The Saadiyat Beach Golf Course has been designed by South African Gary Player and is being developed by the Abu Dhabi-based Tourism Development & Investment Company.

Covering 18,000sq m, the clubhouse will include a boutique hotel with 26 deluxe rooms as well as two restaurants, a spa and a golf shop.

Gehry said: “We are just at the beginning of the detailed design of the clubhouse and are very pleased with the progress thus far. The design is intended to be an ephemeral mirage floating above the greens.”

Sunday, December 13, 2009

ROCKET-SHAPED MINARET SPARKS ROW

13 December, 2009 | Ted Jeory

A DECISION to build a huge rocket-shaped minaret and two giant arches in the style of Muslim headscarves on one of Britain’s most historic streets is sparking outrage and risks escalating racial tension, according to community leaders.

Council chiefs in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets are using millions of pounds of public money to push through the bizarre scheme in Brick Lane, a symbolic melting pot of immigrant communities for more than 400 years.

The odd looking minaret has just been put up outside London’s most famous mosque, a building whose appearance until now has remained unchanged during previous spells as a Huguenot church, a Methodist chapel and as a Jewish synagogue.

The structure will be joined soon at either end of the street by two arches that have been designed to look like Muslim hijabs.

All three symbols are costing some £2.5million of public money.

They are part of a town hall drive to transform the street, already famous as London’s “curry capital”, into a “Banglatown” cultural trail, a Bangladeshi version of the successful Chinatown in the capital’s West End.

It is intended as a celebration of how successive generations of immigrants have settled in the area, including the Huguenot weavers of the Eighteenth century, and the German Jews and Irish navvies of Victorian and later times.

However, many fear it will be biased overwhelmingly in favour of the street’s latest custodians, the Bangladeshi Muslims who arrived during the last century.

Their concerns centre on the moderate Brick Lane Jamme Masjid mosque, a religious Grade II listed building that more than any other symbolises the changing character of the area.

Built as a Huguenot church in 1743, it was later a Methodist chapel, a synagogue and converted into a mosque in 1976.

Throughout that time its external appearance never changed.

However, last week that tradition was destroyed when workers started to put up a 90ft illuminated, stainless steel minaret on the building’s doorstep.

Its aesthetics have divided opinion in an area that is also home to trendy bars, boutique shops and artists Tracey Emin and Gilbert and George.

Some consider it “cool”, while others have likened to a tower of washing machine drums.

However, it is the symbolism of the minaret and the arches that has upset others.

They believe it is disrespectful to Brick Lane’s history, with Clive Bettington, who runs the Jewish East End Celebration Society, going further.

“It shows absolute contempt for other religions,” he said.

“The trail was meant to be a wonderful thing that reflects the ethnic groups who have come to the area. People who come on my tours to respect what used to be a synagogue will be outraged.

“The arches are clearly meant to be Muslim in character and we are now objecting in the strongest possible terms.”

A senior opposition councillor in the area said they were “utterly appalled” by the decisions, adding: “Things like this damage community cohesion.”

While Mr Bettington and several other groups, including Save Britain’s heritage and the Spitalfields Society, are lodging formal protests against the proposed arches, there is also a question mark over the legitimacy of the minaret.

While Tower Hamlets Council granted planning permission for the minaret in September 2004, that authority was given to the mosque itself.

Years later the mosque realised it did not have enough money and persuaded the council to underwrite the £510,000 project with the huge £8m “planning gain” windfall it received from the nearby Spitalfields Market development.

However, the council was unable to say last Friday whether such money, known as “section 106” cash, was permitted to be spent on religious buildings.

All the people who could answer that question were celebrating their office Christmas lunches, a spokeswoman said last Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile architect David Gallagher who was responsible for designing the minaret and arches defended the project.

He said: “We were briefed to design something that celebrates the demographic changes of the area.

“The arches were not designed to look like hijabs. Huguenot and Jewish women wore headscarves. The arches are just modern curves and they will have symbols on them reflecting the different immigrant communities. Having the Star of David on them is one option we have considered, but no decision has been made yet.”

A Tower Hamlets Council spokeswoman said the minaret was part of the cultural trail and added: “The minaret is very much a cultural symbol providing a strong cultural clue to the area and endorsing our belief that the local Muslim community is now an integral part, not just of Tower Hamlets, but London and further afield.

“The cultural trail has gone through all of the Council's relevant planning and financial due diligence.”

Sunday, October 11, 2009

RMJM: win islamic architecture award for zliten campus, libya

Oct 10, 2009 | designBoom

RMJM architects have received the islamic architecture award for their work on
the zliten campus at asmariya university for islamic sciences in Libya at the cityscape
awards in dubai, 2009.

the zliten campus is a new branch of al asmariya university, located 75 miles southeast
of tripoli. RMJM’s architects designed a campus master plan for the development of
the 202-acre site. core academic functions are organized in four quadrants within
a perimeter habitable wall that houses faculty offices and academic support functions.

with a total build-out of more than 1 million square feet, the new campus provides
academic and support buildings, a conference and student center as well as
administration, library, recreation and residential spaces for a population of 4,600 students.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Prayer and Meditation Pavilion

June 25 2009 | Maryam Eskandari

The Prayer and Meditation Pavilion produced by Italy's Studio Tamassociati has been nominated for a numerous architectural awards. Its monolithic, elegant and effortless exterior in comparison to the striking and vivid interior spaces has been clearly celebrated by not only architects and designer, but by the general public as well.

The project is located in Soba, Sudan. In the last two decades, this country has been exasperated by numerous inter-ethnic wars. The vast majority, 70% of the population, of Sudanese are Muslims. The remainder are between Christians and other religious faiths (Crisis in Darfur of 05/05/2004).

In designing, the Prayer and Meditation Pavilion, the architects clearly understood and succesfully articulated a platonic place for meditation for all religious and ethnic groups present in Sudan. The key elements used to create the straightforward and simple design ironically are not all that easy. The use of local materials are for certain. However, the premediatated use of light and shadow, radiates a calm and soothing theraputical atmosphere.

On the exterior, the two off-white cubes are surrounded by a large pool of water, a moat, creating a spiritual element in which symbolizes a detachment from the outside world. This large pool of water allows for religious washings. However, the wash is perceived with out any religious connotations - component containing water. The architects made sure that all architecture symbols, icons and religious elements were obscured, so that no elements could be attributed to a sole religion.

The interiors of the pavilions are embodied by the appeal of two trees, creating sacrilegious, and natural; yet sacred space, within an artificial man made atmosphere. The plan of the pavilions, two cubes, are tangent to each other on one face. A shift of half-a-width on one side allow for openings. The opening and slots peel away the outer walls , in which creates access points to each cube from opposite sides, and across the pool. Top of each pavilion are bamboo canopies in a steel frame, painted white to match the whitewashed walls. The bamboo, and the gaps between the frames, creates beautiful patterns of shadow on the walls and floors.

The project clearly demonstrates the meaning behind a purified faith. Within all religions there is a struggle within ones soul to clearly articulate piousness and modesty. While working on this project the architects delcared “ When we were having to think of a place where the muslim prayer take place, as is customary happen at any place of care, we had to compare with this difficult dilemma. Designing a space that could accommodate the complex spiritual houses in this country. The choice was to not be given any form of worship but to create a space capable of hosting the prayer and meditation for all faiths. We had, of course, to deal with the Muslim religion that is the faith professed by the majority of Sudan and with the religious practice (washing, separation of men women) but we have dropped these rules in a estranging not make the dominant ” .